УДК 81’255.4:821.111*Моем
Олеся Барбанюк,
(Кам’янець-Подільський національний університет імені Івана Огієнка)
Socio-political realia in W. S. Maugham’s “Verger”
and their interpretation in Ukrainain
Annotation
The following article represents the features of definitions and typical techniques of translating culturally-marked units, namely realia to denote socio-political aspects, in the short story by a well-known prose writer and playwright of XX-century Great Britain William Somerset Maugham “The Verger”.
Keywords: culturally-marked units, nationally-labeled vocabulary, realia, W. S. Maugham, translation
While interacting with culture language performs a number of functions, among which scholars distinguish the translational one, since through the translation of culture language influences the worldview of any linguistic and cultural community.
In fiction, in particular, there exist linguistic units that provide an idea of the particular people and their environment. In spite of a number of definitions, such units are traditionally called ” culturally-marked units”, “nationally-labeled vocabulary”, “realia” [2; 3; 4; 5]. It is indisputable, that words-realia are to be found in all genres of fiction, because they convey the historical, geographical peculiarities, as well as routine and other features of the people.
The issue on the actual definition of realia is still relevant today [7], since researchers of culturally-marked vocabulary have different views on this phenomenon. Thus, Ya. Retsker states that realia are words, which denote objects, processes, and phenomena characteristic of routine and life of the country, but are not marked by the scientific precision of the definition inherent for the terms [6], while L. Sobolev is convinced that realia can be called domestic and specific national words and word-combinations, which have no equivalents in everyday life, and therefore in other languages.
The classical approach to the classification of realia, proposed by the Bulgarian researchers S. Vlahov and S. Florin [1], calls to consider realia from different angles: by subject of denotation and by locality. Considering the subject of denotation, the scholars suggest the following classification of realia: a) geographical; b) ethnographic; c) socio-political. It is worth noting that this classification is somewhat generalized and superficial, but it does not corrupt a general tendency for the subdivision of realia by the subject of denotation.
Many studies have already been devoted to the translation of realia proper, to the search for ways and techniques of transmitting the national and cultural colouring of one linguoculture by means of another [2; 3; 4], nevertheless such units continue to cause considerable difficulties for translators. S. Vlahov and S. Florin [1] summarize the techniques of transmitting realia to only two: transcription and translation. That is why the general scheme of the techniques of transmitting realia is as follows: a) Transcription. b) Translation (replacement).
Since transcription (or transliteration) is a common way of translating units that do not exist in the target linguistic culture, translation is a series of transformations: 1. The formation of neologism: calque, semi-calque, semantic neologism. 2. Implementation of approximate translation: generic conformity, functional analogue, description, explication, interpretation. 3. Conducting contextual translation.
In the focus of our research is the short story by the famous prose writer, playwright and literary critic of Great Britain of the 20th century, William Somerset Maugham, “The Verger”. Despite the author’s considerable creativity and, consequently, numerous translations of his works into different languages, the story “The Verger” has no Ukrainian-language analogue.
This is a story about a verger, Albert Foreman, who has held this position at one of the churches in London for 16 years. Life seemed to continue so measuredly and monotonously, but one day a newly appointed vicar found Albert illiterate. The protagonist ceases his ministry in the church because of his unwillingness to learn the basics of writing and, over time, becomes a well-known and successful entrepreneur, still illiterate.
So, let’s make an attempt to transmit the realia of the artistic world of W.S. Maugham into the Ukrainian language, the title to begin with.
“Verger” – жезлоносець, церковний служитель, який несе срібні жезли, символ влади під час церемоній у англіканській церкві. This is a realia of a religious nature, but since it reproduces the particularities of religion in Great Britain and, in fact, of the church hierarchy, it is expedient to attribute such a nationally-marked unit to the group of socio-political realia.
Consequently, the following can be distinguished from socio-political realia:
- a) to denote the territorial units of London: Neville Square, St Peter’s
There had been a christening that afternoon at St Peter’s, Neville Square, and Albert Edward Foreman still wore his verger’s gown [8]. – В той день по обіді у церкві Святого Петра, що на Невілл Сквер, відбулись хрестини і Альберт Едвард Форман ще був у своєму одіянні.
London administrative realia Neville Square is to be translated by means of transliteration – Невілл Сквер, while St Peter’s – by means of calquing and explication – церкві Святого Петра.
- b) to denote the church hierarchy: verger, vicar, clergyman of the old school, churchwarden, the popes of Rome.
During the sixteen years he had been verger of this church……[8]. – Протягом 16 років він був служителем …
The vicar had been but recently appointed, a red-faced energetic man in the early forties [8]. – Недавно призначений парафіяльний священик був червонолицим, енергійним чоловіком за сорок…
…a clergyman of the old school who preached leisurely sermons in a silvery voice…….[8]. – …священник старої школи, який розважливо читав проповіді своїм срібним голосом…
Albert Edward was a trifle surprised to find the two churchwardens there [8]. – Альберт Едвард був дещо здивований побачити двох церковних старостів.
The vergers of St Peter’s, like the popes of Rome, were there for life [8]. – Служителі церкви Святого Петра, як і папи Римські, займали посаду до кінця своїх днів.
Such examples state the use of calque (a clergyman of the old school – священник старої школи, churchwardens – церковні старости, the popes of Rome – папи римські) and functional analogue (vicar – парафіяльний священник, verger – церковний служитель, прислужник) in translating socio-political realia.
Thus, the use of the above-mentioned methods to translate socio-political realia contributes to the understanding of the artistic world of the author and adequate interpretation of the features of English religion by the reader.
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